Charles Stueart PingleHis middle name is recorded as "Steuart" in his family's bible, along with the Parliament of Canad
website
on Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and an additiona
document
from the Alberta Legislature, however the spelling variation of "Stewart" has been used on various Alberta Legislature documents and articles. (October 16, 1880 – January 10, 1928) was a druggist, politician and service man in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. He served in the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from singl ...

from 1913 to 1921 and from 1925 to 1928 as a member of the Liberal Party. He also served as Speaker of the Assembly from 1920 to 1921. Pingle was born in Manitoba. After attending schools in Winnipeg, he apprenticed a druggist in Regina for two years before writing pharmaceutical exams and moving to Alberta to establish his own shop. One of the founding citizens of Medicine Hat, Alberta, he served in various boards and associations within the community. After serving as an alderman in Medicine Hat, in 1915, Pingle enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and was stationed in France, where he served for about 5 months before returning to Canada. After winning a seat as a Liberal in the

1913 Alberta general election The 1913 Alberta general election was held in March 1913. The writ was dropped on 25 March 1913 and election day was held 17 April 1913 to elect 56 members to the 3rd Alberta Legislature. Elections in two northern districts took place on 30 July ...

and being returned to office again in 1917, Pingle was selected as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1920, in which he served until he was defeated in the

1921 Alberta general election The 1921 Alberta general election was held on July 18, 1921, to elect members to the 5th Alberta Legislative Assembly. It was one of only five times that Alberta has changed governments. The Liberal Party, which had governed the province since it ...

by United Farmers candidate William Smith in a close race. He returned to the Assembly in a 1925 by-election in the riding of

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in Southern Alberta, southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff, Alberta, ...

, in which he served until his sudden death in 1928.

Early life, education and career

Charles Steuart Pingle was born to Warren Hume and Georgina (née Steuart) Pingle near Morris,

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

on October 16, 1880.Perry, Footz 2006 pg. 281 His father, born in what would later become Ontario, maintained a family milling business. Upon moving to Regina in 1883, Warren Pingle held many community positions, such as town assessor, jailer, and president of the school board, until his sudden death in 1889 at the age of 41. Charles Pingle attended public school in Winnipeg and then apprenticed with the Bole Drug Company in Regina. In 1899, after apprenticing for two years, he wrote pharmaceutical exams and then entered the profession.Perry, Footz 2006 pg. 282 He moved to

in 1901, and one year later, purchased a drug business from Donald A. Black, naming the store Pingle Drug and Book Company. He was a member of the first council of the Alberta Pharmaceutical Association from 1911 to 1912. He later served as president of the Association from 1918 to 1919. He also served as director of various corporations, like the ''

Medicine Hat News The ''Medicine Hat News'' is a daily newspaper published in Medicine Hat, Alberta. It features a city news section, a national news section, a world news section, a sports section, a comics section, and a classifieds section. The paper is owned b ...

'' and the Commonwealth Trust Company in Calgary. He also maintained a farm in Medicine Hat.

Military

Pingle served in the Canadian Militia as quartermaster of the

21st Alberta Hussars The 21st Alberta Hussars were a light cavalry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia (now the Canadian Army). In 1920, the regiment was reorganized as The Alberta Mounted Rifles. Lineage 21st Alberta Hussars ...

from 1909 to 1914, with the rank of an honorary captain.Perry, Footz 2006 pg. 283 Pingle joined the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force to fight in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

on May 25, 1915. He sailed to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in June 1915, serving there from September 1915 to February 1916, when he returned to Canada.

Political career

From 1910 to 1912, Pingle sat as an alderman on the Medicine Hat City Council. He served on the Police Committee and Electric Committee. Pingle served as president and vice president of the Medicine Hat Liberal Association. He first ran for to the Alberta Legislature in the

as a candidate under the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

banner. He won a two-way race to pick up the new electoral district of Redcliff for his party. From 1918 to 1919, he chaired the Standing Committee on Miscellaneous and Private Bills in the Fourth Legislature. Soldier Members of the Alberta Legislature

Soldier Members of the Alberta Legislature

In the 1917 general election he was returned to office by acclamation under Section 38 of the ''Election Act'', for MLAs who served in the war. In 1920, following the death of incumbent Speaker Charles W. Fisher, Pingle was nominated by Premier Charles Stewart and Attorney-General John R. Boyle for Speaker of the Alberta Legislature. He took up the position on February 17 of the same year. One of the first issues he dealt with was one involving Wilfrid Gariepy, MLA for Beaver River. This involved the fact that Gariepy, who did not reside in Alberta, appeared not to be eligible to sit in the house, in accordance with the ''Legislative Assembly of Alberta Act'' and ''Alberta Election Act''. Although the mention was revoked, Pingle later ruled that it was not his duty to decide on the status of Gariepy, and it was only his duty to recognize every elected member of the house who had been administered the oath of office. He ran for re-election in the 1921 general election but, contrary to many reports, was defeated in a two-way race by United Farmers candidate William Smith. He was the first Speaker in Alberta to be defeated.Perry, Footz 2006 pg. 285 Pingle made a political come back by running as a candidate in the Medicine Hat electoral district in a by-election held on September 29, 1925, following the death of incumbent William Johnston. Pingle won on the second-choice preferences of the new alternate vote system. In the 1926 general election Pingle (and Conservative candidate J.J.Hendricks) won Medicine Hat's two seats in a three-way race held under Single transferable voting rules. The following year, he was appointed to the Legislature's Special Committee on the Rules, Orders and Forms of Proceedings.

Personal life

Charles Steuart Pingle married Jean McLeay, originally from Ontario, on September 16, 1903. Her parents were both of Scottish descent, with her mother being born in Scotland. Her father worked as a money broker and manufacturer in his hometown of Watford, Ontario. Pingle and his wife had two children, Robert Warren and Charles Glendining; the latter died in infancy. Robert's son, also named Charles Steuart, was an unsuccessful Progressive Conservative candidate in the Ontario riding of Windsor-Walkerville in the

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

and

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

federal elections. Pingle was greatly associated with the Medicine Hat community. He sat on many boards, including the Board of Trade, Rotary Club, and Board of Directors of the Agricultural Society. He also belonged to the Sons of England Society and

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

. He also enjoyed

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...

, where he was president of the board and a

skip Skip or Skips may refer to: Acronyms * SKIP (Skeletal muscle and kidney enriched inositol phosphatase), a human gene * Simple Key-Management for Internet Protocol * SKIP of New York (Sick Kids need Involved People), a non-profit agency aidin ...

of a team respectively. He also took an interest in music as a member of a string quartet and as president of a citizens band. The locality of Pingle, near Fort McMurray, which was formerly an Alberta and Great Waterways railway station, was named after him in 1925. Also, a street in Medicine Hat, Pingle Street was also named in his honour.

Death and legacy

Pingle attended a conference in the morning on January 10, 1928. He returned to his home shortly after noon. He felt a pricking sensation in his hand, and he was unable to use it and his wife urged him to go have a nap. Pingle died at 7:20 pm that day at his residence in Medicine Hat, of what was reported to be "cardiac troubles" or a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

. He had been in poor health in the years preceding his death. His funeral was attended by various members of provincial and municipal governments, political associations, and communities with which he was associated. St. Barbanas Church, in which it was held, was filled to its capacity, and many people had to stand outside. He was interred at the Hillside Cemetery in Medicine Hat. His wife, Jean, was buried beside him upon her death on September 6, 1944.Perry, Footz 2006 pg. 286 Senator William Buchanan characterized him as "a fair, dignified and capable presiding officer" and called him the "first citizen of Medicine Hat". Lieutenant Governor

William Egbert William Egbert (February 25, 1857 – October 15, 1936) was a Canadian physician and politician. He served as the third Lieutenant Governor of Alberta from 1925 to 1931. Egbert was born in 1857 to a farming family in what is today the province ...

stated that the death of Pingle would be "keenly felt by the Members of the House and by the people of the province". In an obituary, Pingle was described as "an outstanding figure in the Medicine Hat district, where for many years he occupied an important position in the business and social life of the community."

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pingle, Charles 1880 births 1928 deaths Alberta Liberal Party MLAs Canadian Militia officers Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Canadian military personnel of World War I Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta People from Morris, Manitoba